African economies under threat from U.S. tariff war, says Ghanaian analyst

By: AGENCIES 1 min read
African economies under threat from U.S. tariff war, says Ghanaian analyst
An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 19, 2024 shows cargo ships docking at the Tonghai Port Area, a container terminal, at Nantong Port in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu Province. In the first three quarters this year, the Tonghai Port saw about 1.17 million TEU of container throughput in total, up 21.82 percent year on year. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

Leslie Dwight Mensah, economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that African countries engaged in trade with the United States are likely to face negative repercussions from the new tariffs.

However, he said, the severity of the impact will differ across countries, based on the scale and significance of their trade relationships with the United States.

“Under the initial tariff proposals, many African economies will see positive tariffs on most exports to the United States compared to the zero tariffs they previously enjoyed. This certainly will eliminate some export trade,” Mensah said.

In early April, the U.S. government announced a new wave of tariffs targeting a wide array of countries, with several African economies among the hardest hit. The measures include duties of up to 50 percent on goods from Lesotho, 47 percent on those from Madagascar, 40 percent on those from Mauritius, and 37 percent on those from Botswana.

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